October Beef, Forage Program; November Seminar

October 29, 2015 (Flyer) - As the year winds down and we start thinking about how to improve best management strategies for our cattle operations, weed control often comes to mind. There are several ways to improve pastures and control weeds. The most common two practices used in East Texas are mowing and spraying. There’s nothing better looking than a fresh mowed pasture after it has received a rain and it starts turning green but those weeds are still there and are utilizing the much needed rain.

Identifying and spraying weeds are excellent ways to improve pastures. Appling the herbicide at the correct rate and time can help eliminate those pesky weeds for the whole season. John Roach, a range and pasture specialist with Dow AgroSciences, will cover weed identification and make herbicide recommendations.

An underutilized way to help control weeds is through soil fertility. When the soil has the proper nutrients and the pH is between 6.2 and 7 the grass will be able to thrive. When you have a thick stand of grass you will have fewer weeds and also the grass will have a vigorous root system allowing it to handle drought and heavier stocking rates better. Dr. Leon Young, director of the SFA Soil, Plant and Water Analysis Lab will be presenting how to understand your soil test.

Private applicators and commercial applicators are required to have CEU’s to maintain and utilize the license. The Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Department of Agriculture are proposing changes to the CEU requirements and the cost of the license for these applicators. I will be presenting the proposed changes along with the current laws and regulations for these applicators. There will be 3 CEU’s offered at this program: 1 hour in General, 1 hour in Laws and Regulations and 1 hour in Integrated Pest Management.

So mark your calendars and come join as at the Community House for this beef and forage program on November 17th The meal starts at 5:30pm and the program at 6pm. Preregistration is $10 per person at the door is $20. Checks or money orders made payable to Youth Ag Fund. This program and meal are sponsored by Dow AgroSciences and Crop Production Services.

Lane Dunn is the County Extension Agent for agriculture and natural resources for Shelby County. His email address is jldunn@ag.tamu.edu.

Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating.